Chapter 173: The Secret of the Han Family
February 22, Saturday
The so-called Youth Cadre Training at Headquarters was, in fact, a few days of attending report meetings followed by writing study reports.
For Han Jie Li, this was just a reasonable excuse to switch work focus between the Western Supervision District and Headquarters.
After visiting the underground research center at the Xifeng secret base a few days ago, more confidential information regarding the Primordial Project opened up to Han Jie Li, keeping him in a state of shock that he couldn’t shake off.
The time for the upcoming Scarecrow Confidentiality Central Meeting had yet to arrive, allowing Han Jie Li to shift his thoughts in another direction.
On the desk was a summary report on the investigation of the case at the Jiutian Commercial Plaza and Dongfeng Community in C City. Such a bizarre and bloody vicious case stirred up bitterness within him.
“All right, next up, Old Ye.”
Everyone sat down as Director Ye of the Intelligence Bureau opened his folder with a helpless expression: “The Red Magician went missing twenty years ago. The last contact was to request a new personal data profile and passport from the second generation Scarecrow.”
“It appears that the personal data and passport were actually the Red Rocket. According to Xiao Han’s previous speculations, it should have indicated that the Red Magician and the Red Rocket broke the silence and coordinated on something…”
“I became the third generation Scarecrow for the Red Magician eighteen years ago. I send a contact request once every month, which includes changing to a new confidential communicator, but I’ve received no response. They’re still missing.”
“The mission of the Red Magician is to collect information on the implementation of the Primordial Project abroad. So far, there have been no significant results.”
After Ye Zhijun finished speaking, he closed his folder, shaking his head repeatedly.
The decryption of strategic mission content and progress finally connected many seemingly unrelated pieces of fragmented information, and Ye Zhijun’s words made several people’s gazes unconsciously shift towards Han Jie Li.
Because Han Jie Li had already guessed most of this using only his personal reasoning.
“Guoping, it’s your turn.”
Wu Zhongxian made a mark in his notes and calmly turned to Han Guoping, the vice president of Huayao Group.
“I have nothing much to say… The mission of the Red Diamond is to find a way for ordinary people and the blood race to coexist, which is absurd.”
Han Guoping surprisingly closed his eyes and pretended to rest, a mocking smirk at the corner of his mouth: “It’s fine if I didn’t know before, but now I’m just a joke as a Scarecrow.”
Han Guowei furrowed his brows and directly criticized his cousin: “Leave out personal emotions and adhere to work discipline, Comrade Han Guoping! Report on your mission progress!”
Han Guoping sighed, straightened his back, and his expression grew even more bitter: “I took over as the third generation Scarecrow for the Red Diamond ten years ago, but the last contact with Red Diamond and the Special Operation Team was twenty years ago when they applied for thirty million dollars in confidential funds and a large amount of military equipment.”
“I even suspect that Red Diamond has long since abandoned the mission. At the current exchange rate, that amount of money would be at least two hundred million! Twenty years ago, the nation was using money everywhere and just handed it to Red Diamond!”
“Moreover, I’ve reviewed all the execution progress of the necklace mission, all Red Diamond was doing was asking for money, I feel embarrassed to even say this… Now that person is missing, for the Special Operation Team, it’s merely losing a payment target.”
After Han Guoping finished speaking, he closed his eyes again, continuing to rest.
Except for Han Jie Li, everyone else’s expressions were a bit uneasy—one of the legendary women from the Han family, one of the first-generation leaders of the Dark Arrow, actually formulated such an extremely absurd strategic mission, which indeed left people baffled.
“Comrades, I’ll keep it brief. The mission code is ‘Hunting Demons’, to track and deal with Xia Yan and Yan Biao. The Unwavering Warriors have yet to restore normal contact; I’ve completed my report!”
Han Jie Li stood up and finished speaking in a few seconds before sitting down again, sitting straight and not avoiding eye contact, speaking resolutely.
“All right, that concludes the routine report on the Scarecrow work. Next, I’ll brief you on the situation in the Southern Liang family. Old Han, show everyone something.”
Wu Zhongxian and Han Guowei exchanged glances, the latter pulling out a USB drive from his pocket and plugging it into the computer, causing a bunch of photos to appear on the large screen in the meeting room.
“There is an internal rebellion in the Liang family, with both sides caught in a stalemate; the Wang family’s interference has suffered heavy losses. Most critically, the long-lost Frankenstein serum, which disappeared over seventy years ago, has reappeared and is being used on infiltrating Black Blood members.”
As for the specimen, to be honest, it’s my first time seeing such a monster; the sample has already been dispatched to the secret supervision center in the southern supervisory area for collection.
On the screen, the upper body of a strange mutant corpse resembling a mass of swollen meat lumps made everyone present’s hair stand on end. It was a horrifying sight that could only be described with the full extent of one’s imagination of the word ‘disgusting’.
“Well, when Old Han sent back this information, I contacted the Russian intelligence agency and matched it with data from World War II. It’s the Frankenstein serum, one of the legacies of the Goebbels family’s Primordial Project. Eighty years ago, the Tanaka family in Japan also had a batch and used it in fighting the Huaguo blood race.”
Wu Zhongxian quickly continued, his expression grave: “According to data from the Soviet Union’s intelligence agency, the Frankenstein serum is derived from the organ tissue of a queen, so the quantity is extremely limited. It’s said that a knight, after consuming it, can contend with a baron before boiling and collapsing.”
By the end of World War II, most of the Goebbels family’s legacy was seized and divided up by established families in Europe and America, including the unfinished Frankenstein serum.
Therefore, after analysis, the Special Operation Team concluded that some established families in Europe and America, even if they weren’t the perpetrators of the rebellion within the Liang family, were accomplices and were obviously targeting the Wang family.
The Wang family was a topic that the Dark Arrow could never avoid, and even some of the more confidential files about the Wang family buried the secrets of the Dark Arrow itself.
It was hard to tell whether it was the kind of demons that crawled out of hell making it hard for people to keep a calm demeanor or the discussions of the external blood race’s hundred-year siege on the Huaguo blood race that invoked an inescapable emotional resonance. The atmosphere in the room was noticeably oppressive.
“Can the Wang family withstand it…?”
Han Jie Li raised his hand and quietly asked.
“Hmph, as for the Wang family, let’s set it aside for now. Defending our homeland is the duty of the Dark Arrow, especially against these dirty things. That’s why your third uncle was transferred to serve as the commander of the southern supervisory area. If anyone is to hold back the Wang family and the Dark Arrow, we can only fight to the end!”
“All right, this topic is not up for discussion anymore. Meeting adjourned. Xiao Han, regarding the task leak by Investigation Team 430, you need to act quickly. Today, in front of Director Ye, I promise you can query and initiate investigations against anyone.”
Wu Zhongxian coldly huffed, closed his folder, and was the first to leave the meeting room.
Before leaving, Ye Zhijun specifically walked to Han Jie Li’s side and gently patted him on the shoulder, his attitude exceptionally kind.
As people gradually dispersed, Han Jie Li pondered for a moment and hastily followed behind Han Guowei.
“Why are you following me? Shouldn’t you be trying to get closer to Director Ye? At least treat him to a meal.”
Han Guowei stopped and looked back at him, somewhat puzzled.
“Uh, third uncle, I have a personal topic I’d like to consult…”
Han Jie Li awkwardly scratched his head, smiling sheepishly.
“Personal topic? Are you eyeing some girl and feel like you can’t handle it? Han Guowei was taken aback, and a few seconds later, burst into laughter, “Not bad, listen to your mother! Go on, which department is it? I’ll help make connections!”
“Uh… no, it’s about our Han family.”
Han Jie Li was taken aback for several seconds, feeling a mix of laughter and tears.
Seeing that the others had gone far, Han Guowei thought for a moment, pulled Han Jie Li back into the meeting room, and gradually grew serious: “Is there anything about our Han family that you don’t know?”
Han Jie Li thought for a moment, quickly took out a small notebook and pen, looking eager to learn: “Third uncle, while tracing the Primordial Project and the Special Operation Team’s work, I found that there’s no personal data for our great-grandmother. Why is that?”
She was a major general in her prime, but now apart from a few photos, everything is a complete blank. Were the files destroyed or is it still classified?
“I also found that the reputation of our Han family in the Dark Arrow seems not as good as the outside world imagines.”
“Not as good as imagined; in fact, many times, I feel that the Han family risks life and death, and each one seems to be… like they need to give everyone an explanation? If it’s really that kind of style, then the Han family would have been exterminated many times over the past few centuries!”
“Moreover, whenever the Wang family is mentioned, everyone becomes very secretive. Even Director Ye seems to handle Wang family matters according to the old protocols established by great-grandmother. Were all these set by her back then?”
Han Jie Li continued to output questions rapidly, one after another. These were confusions he had been accumulating as his work progressed over the past few months.
In the past, he took pride in being a member of the Han family, but now, he felt somewhat restricted.
Listening quietly to his questions, Han Guowei’s expression changed several times, from surprise to helplessness, then sadness, finally returning to silence.
“You truly are a prodigy… You’re implying that instead of saying the Dark Arrow and the Wang family have a tacit understanding, it’s more accurate to say the Han family and the Wang family are connected.”
Han Guowei stared intently at Han Jie Li’s deliberately naive face, a hint of self-mockery appearing in his eyes.
Han Jie Li lowered his head, not daring to respond, only fiddling with his small notebook and pen.
“Alas…” Han Guowei sighed deeply, slowly stood up, and turned his back, “Xiao Qian, your great-grandmother Zhi Qianhua, don’t let the ordinary appearance fool you; in fact, she was the legitimate niece of the Wang family, married into the Han family back in the day.”
“Considering blood relations, the current members of the Han family are all descendants of your great-grandfather and great-grandmother. In other words, the blood of the Wang family actually flows through the current Han family…”
Thus, there’s no such thing as selflessness or passionate sacrifice… The Han family must not only defend their homeland but also lead by example, even dying ahead of many others.”
This secret, in the entire Han family, only your second grandfather and I know. You’re the last descendant of the Han family, so it’s appropriate to share this secret with you now. You must tell your children about it in the future.”
After saying this, Han Guowei left with a bitter smile.
Han Jie Li remained in his seat, his face filled with disbelief, and the pen in his hand had dropped to the floor.
…
A hundred years ago, the Han family, a group that had clashed with blood races for hundreds of years and clung to old grudges, ultimately shed outdated thoughts after experiencing the darkest century in Huaguo’s history, embracing a new belief.
The last man of the Han family, Han Changwen, in that tumultuous era, abandoned the last wisps of fantasy tied to the feudal empire and rejected the decaying Beiyang, embarking on the great path of seeking ideological liberation and national rejuvenation.
Zhi Qianhua, a wondrous woman imbued with the progressive thoughts of the new era, walked alongside the last man of the Han family. Together, they followed the great ideas, endured countless hardships, established the Dark Arrow, and shouldered the weight of history.
Due to the toll taken on him during the Long March, her husband died from illness in the early years of the war against the Japanese blood race. Zhi Qianhua singlehandedly raised five children, becoming the last pillar of the Han family.
At that very time, in the depths of her first life’s nadir, Zhi Qianhua confessed her true identity to the organization.
She was not only the niece of a legitimate bloodline family but also the spouse of a high-ranking leader of the Dark Arrow, the founder of the Dark Arrow. This revelation almost caused the Dark Arrow headquarters at that time to explode and even stirred reactions from the highest leaders in the central government.
That very year, after gaining the trust and authorization of the highest leader, under Zhi Qianhua’s leadership, a strategic agreement was reached between the Dark Arrow and the Wang family, standing united against external threats.
Why did the Wang family choose to let Zhi Qianhua marry Han Changwen in the persona of a progressive youth, providing immense behind-the-scenes support to the then-weak revolutionary force? The motives remain a mystery to this day.
However, from the result perspective, this was undoubtedly the Wang family’s most successful strategic investment in a millennium—because the establishment of the New Huaguo was not just a consensus of blood and hope for all the people on this land, but also a new chapter of the Wang family interlinked with a future superpower.
The mission code ‘Necklace,’ to find a way for ordinary people and the blood race to coexist, with no deadline—thus the emergence of the third strategic mission, clearing the way for all the underlying ideas and logic.
This is not only an extreme idealism from Zhi Qianhua towards this land but also an obsession with one’s own origins and family, and it will inevitably stir the fates of more people.
It was late at night, and Han Jie Li still sat in the meeting room, his expression serious.
In front of him, the small notebook remained blank, as Han Jie Li struggled to escape the historical images played out in his mind.
He suddenly felt that his earlier casual probing of Meng Huai had inadvertently collided with his great-grandmother’s obsession.
…
“What? Meng Huai has moved out? When did this happen?”
Late at night, Xiao Ling knocked on Jiang Yan’s door, bringing her a piece of news that left her shocked.
“Um, shortly after dinner. Since you were busy exercising, I didn’t dare to disturb you.”
“He said his presence affects others and he doesn’t want his treatment to feel too special, so he plans to move to a small farm. Shaolin Ge is currently with him at the small farm drinking, so I’m here to inform you.”
In the room, Xiao Ling lowered her voice and subconsciously glanced at the direction of the door: “Um, Xiaoyan, has Meng Huai’s memory recovered? Or is there some conflict between you two?”
“Xiaoyan, how about calling Sister Wan? Otherwise, I’m really uneasy. I saw the look in his eyes; it was so cold it was a bit frightening… Moreover, I’ve noticed he’s been a bit indifferent to you these past few days.”
As she spoke, Xiao Ling lightly nudged Jiang Yan, hinting at a bit of gossip.
“Sister Wan has been busy with Zhong Jing these days; it seems the new company matters are too complicated… I don’t know how much Meng Huai’s memory has recovered; he seems a bit confused about his current position.”
“However, he’s taken a liking to participating in farm labor, which should be beneficial for his mental and physical well-being. After all, after consuming the purification drug, the side effects are strong, and it definitely impacts emotions.”
Jiang Yan pondered and could only find such an excuse.
“Yeah, that makes sense. I heard that when Shaolin Ge was brought into the Hidden Alliance by Sister Wan, he was in a similar state and took a long time to recover from his past…”
At this point in the conversation, Xiao Ling also had to nod, even revealing a hint of a smile: “No wonder Shaolin Ge has been so close to Meng Huai lately, treating him like a buddy!”
“Yep, just ask Brother Zheng to take care of him; I actually don’t know him that well either…”
Jiang Yan awkwardly shook her head, avoiding some topics that were hard to expand on—she didn’t even dare to be certain if Meng Huai remembered her Dark Arrow identity.
After sending off Xiao Ling, Jiang Yan’s gaze fell on a corner where Meng Huai’s personal items lay—a large canvas bag that she had yet to find a suitable opportunity to return to him.
After hesitating for several minutes, Jiang Yan ultimately gave up on the thought of personally returning it to the small farm, as she was somewhat afraid of Meng Huai’s sudden coldness these past few days.
Just as she was preparing to complete another session of basic studies on the Siberian lineage before going to sleep, Jiang Yan suddenly sensed a tidal wave of pheromone storming from within the manor building.
This sudden aura was directed precisely at the room where Jiang Yao was currently living alone.
Eerie, confused, excited, and with a touch of intense fear as if facing a formidable enemy, it felt as if she was being drawn into an irresistible situation.
Jiang Yan’s expression changed dramatically; with no time to change her clothes, she dashed out the door in her yoga tights.
